Author: 303GuySubject: 217gr RN Lead with gas checks
Posted: 14 June 2013 at 4:09pm
You can use progressive ball powders too. W748 is one. I've used Varget with heavy cast with good results. Slower powders that fill the case are good too but obviously your minimum velocity is going to be higher than with fast pistol powders. A good middle of the road, medium pistol powder to use is H4227 (or any of the 4227's).
I used 30 grs Varget under a 243 gr cast bullet. Quite a warm load that and not necessary but I didn't wan't to go too low because the powder needs enough pressure to burn properly. A powder positioner is advisable. I use Dacron - just a ½ to ¾ gr tuft, fluffed out to fill the space is all that's needed. I use Dacron whether needed or not just to keep spilling the powder if the cartridge gets de-bulleted.
Slower powder cast bullet loads don't seem to appear in loading manuals for some reason, perhaps because the general concept with cast is lower velocity but in reality 1700 to 1900 fps is a good do-able range with cast, depending on the rifle twist rate.
Just a warning - Some slow powders and apparently some medium pistol powders can detonate if there is too much free space in the case. Varget is not one of them apparently. I am under the impression that it is stick powders that do that - not sure. The medium pistol powder in question is 4227 but I'm not sure of the circumstances and the possibility of a double charge being the cause cannot be ruled out. It's that double charge thing that leans me away from faster powders. Double charge or no charge - same effect. The primer pushes the bullet into the throat and the next round chambered gets the bullet pushed back into the case resulting in destructively high pressure! You'd think you'd pick up a round that doesn't fire but you don't. Reason is you just assume, in the heat of the moment, that you've forgotten to reload - the case looks just like a fired one - so you reload and fire. How would I know that? I was saved by the fact that I was using a case filling powder and the next round wouldn't accept the bullet being pushed back and so wouldn't let the round be chambered. And yes, the bullets can get pushed back in the heat of the moment. It's to do with Murphy's First Law - if anything can go wrong, it will!
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